Mistakes and the Lake
by Moonclaw and Chance
Summary: My take on the Lake scene. Summary isn't that great, the story is better XD Rated T because I'm careful.


_**An: Ok, so this is my take on the Lake scene. This was inspired by KikaKatTIOI's fanfiction: "Before Jack Frost." Seriously, go check it out ;)**_

* * *

"Emma, wait up." Jack called after his little sister as she rushed to the door with Slushy by her side, his sister had skates in her hands as she looked back to him.

"Come on, Jack! It will be summer by the time you're ready to go." Emma told him as Slushy jumped up and barked before clawing on the door.

Jack chuckled softly and then slung his skates across his back; he grabbed a cloak to keep him warm in the frigid air outside. He tied the straps around his neck snuggly but with enough space so that it could kind of hang down his back. When he got close enough to the door, Emma shoved open the door and then rushed outside with Slushy right behind her, barking and yipping the whole way.

"Jack," He heard his mother call from behind him, he turned around and then looked to her.

"Yeah?" He asked curiously.

"Make sure to test the ice first, dear. Don't set foot on the ice until you are sure it's safe." His mother told him, Jack nodded absentmindedly as he felt Emma grab onto his left hand. The other hand held his staff; he had just recently started carrying it around and thought that it would be perfect to test out the ice.

Emma pulled him towards the path that led to the lake, Jack let out another chuckle and then he turned to address their mother, "I promise, we'll be careful." He told her with a knowing smirk on his face as he was pulled away from his mother by Emma.

Their mother nodded and then waved to them, "Have fun." She called to them right before they passed into the path, she could still hear Slushy's joyful barks and yips long after they had disappeared from sight. Soon she forced herself to close the door and start dinner, something about this didn't feel right but she couldn't put her finger on it.

* * *

Jack stopped in front of the lake; he kneeled down to tie his skates onto his feet as his sister did the same. He gave Slushy the order to stay at the side of the lake and then dog obeyed; she sat on her rump next to the frozen lake, panting happily.

Jack was almost finished with his second skate when he heard a crack; he lifted his head to see not only Slushy on the ice but Emma too. The ice gave a soft _crack_ as if saying that the two of them were much too heavy for it to hold, however, the ice held firm much to Jack's surprise.

"Emma, come back over here." He ordered sternly as he abandoned his skates, the snow under his feet threatened to give them frostbite. Jack shivered inwardly but then pressed on, his sister was more important than a little frostbite.

"Why?" Emma asked as she kicked back her right foot, this propelled her forward across the ice, towards the middle of the lake.

"Emma, stop right there." Jack ordered again, but he paused when he saw Slushy get so excited that she rushed in front of Emma. The ice gave another defiant _crrrrrrrrack_ and then the next thing either of them knew; the ice had swallowed Slushy in its firm grip. Slushy gave a frightened yelp that was quickly hushed when she hit the water, even her dense coat could not protect her from the trembling shock of the subzero water.

"Slushy!" Both Jack and Emma cried out as the dog struggled for about a minute longer before she disappeared underneath the ice, the only evidence that she had been there a moment ago was the gaping hole in the ice.

Emma shivered in either fear, grief or the bitter cold; Jack assumed that it was a mix of all of them judging by the intensity of the shivers. It honestly seemed like she would just crumble like a tall building in a quake. Jack couldn't take it anymore, he stepped onto the ice and called over to his sister even as his legs started to shake from the subzero temperature of the ice under his bare feet. "Emma! Don't look at the hole, look at me."

Emma glanced back to him; Jack could see tears streaming down her face as she quaked. "But-but…Slushy…"

"I know, I know." Jack told her as he gestured with his hand for her to calm down, "I will miss her too. But there is nothing we can do about her now…" Jack held back his tears; he had to be strong for his sister. "Right now, I want you to focus on me." He said as he touched his hand to his chest.

Emma trembled and then she turned fully around to look at her brother, the ice under her feet uttered an all too familiar _crrrack_. She looked down and Jack could see her body tense up so intensely that it seemed like the ice had somehow froze her in place.

"Jack…I'm going to fall in…" Emma's voice was soft but had enough fear inside it to terrify even the bravest person. She looked up to Jack; her eyes clearly reflected her sorrow and terror.

"No, no, no." Jack told her, his voice stuttering so roughly that the words came out much more than he had planned. "I won't let you fall in." He assured her as he forced his voice to sound with the confidence he surely didn't feel in his heart.

"Jack…" Emma sobbed softly as she glanced back towards the hole that had swallowed the loveable pure white dog.

"Emma, look at me…Look at me." Jack repeated it more firmly the second time when she didn't even glance at him. "I won't let you fall…You have to trust me…" He held out his hand towards her as if to prove his point, Emma stared at him and he could see the flash of hope in her eyes. Jack gave her a smile, it wasn't nearly as powerful as one of his carefree smirks but it seemed to calm his little sister down. "Okay Emma, just take it one baby step at a time…Like this."

Jack took a step towards her side, the ice gave a growling crack underneath his foot but Jack just looked to Emma with all the confidence that had just left his body. Something inside him told him that both of them wouldn't make it, and that thought twisted in his stomach. He didn't want to die, but if he had to to save his sister, then he would.

"See?" Jack asked her, he was able to suppress the shudder in his voice. He took another step forward and then started to count, "One…" He forced himself to go quicker on the next step, "Two…" And then he leaped forward, "Three!" He was so close to his sister now. All she had to do was take a few steps towards him and then he would put his staff to good use. He kneeled down and then pointed his staff towards her, "Alright, now you try."

Emma stared at him fearfully; she looked down but then stopped when Jack called to her, "No, Emma. You have to believe in me…I won't let you fall in…Now, try what I just showed you…"

Emma sighed sharply and then she took a trembling step forward, the ice cracked and growled under her but Jack just gave her a comforting look. "That's it, keep coming. One…" He started to count as Emma took another step towards him, the ice growled much louder this time but Jack's voice kept her going, "Two…" Emma took one more step, this time her legs gave out from underneath her. But Jack was quick; he hooked his staff under Emma's arms and then lifted her up from the cracking ice.

He pulled the staff towards him and then when she was close enough to him he grabbed her from the staff and embraced her. Emma grabbed part of his cloak in her shivering hands as she gladly invited the warmth her brother offered her. "I told you I wouldn't let you fall in." Jack told her, but his voice trembled fiercely.

Emma didn't respond, tears streamed from her eyes and soaked her brother's cloak. Jack rubbed her back in comfort and then just happened to glanced down at the ice underneath them, he saw silent cracks flow through the ice. A sharp _crack_ proved his fear; together the siblings were just too heavy. Before Jack could even think, the ice underneath them broke. Jack lifted Emma above him and then grabbed onto the edge of the ice with his free hand, Jack slid Emma onto the ice and then struggled to get a firm grip on the ice.

His whole body quaked uncontrollably, he panted fearfully as the cold threatened to freeze his very spirit. His breath came out in ragged breaths and it was visible just a few inches from his face. He heard Emma cry out in fear as he tried to pull himself from the frigid water, the more he tried to get out of the water the weaker and farther he felt. But he refused to die in front of his sister; he would not let her think that this was her fault.

"Emma, stay back. I can get out, myself." He told her when he noticed her trying to crawl over to him, "Besides, I needed a bath anyway."

"Jack! This is no time to joke around!" Emma cried fearfully as Jack once again lost his grip on the ice, his whole body trembled and his hands were just about useless at the moment.

Jack kicked his legs to try and get a grip on the ice with his feet, or at least get a little bit of help. His legs made it about half way before they seemed to freeze in place, now they were just extra weight pulling him down deeper into the water.

Jack scrabbled at the ice in front of him and tried to pull himself up again, he made it about halfway and then the very ice he had pulled himself onto caved underneath him. Emma screamed in terror as Jack disappeared under the water, he surfaced a few seconds later and then he tried to climb out once more. His will never wavered even when it was obvious that his body was giving up on him, he grabbed onto the ice but his grip slipped.

Emma looked around herself and then grabbed Jack's staff, "Jack! Grab onto this!" She cried to him as she laid down with her stomach on the ice, she reached out the staff to her older brother.

"Emma, get off the ice!" Jack ordered, but it wasn't very productive since his voice trembled something awful.

"Please, Jack…Grab the staff…" Emma pleaded; she wanted to help her brother. She didn't want to lose him, not now, not ever.

Jack's teeth chattered and then he reluctantly took the crook of the staff in his right hand. He grabbed onto the ice with his left hand and then Emma pulled on the staff, together with Jack pushing himself up and Emma pulling him over Jack was able to get back on top of the ice. Jack laid flat on the ice and shivered, his feet still hung in the water and he was freezing and exhausted.

"Jack!" Emma cried as she abandoned the staff and then rushed over to her brother, she hugged him and then Jack forced himself to sit upright. His breath was still visible a few inches from his face and for some unknown reason he found himself glancing towards the sky. Strangely enough, the moon shown in the daylight, Jack looked at it in confusion but then stood up and addressed his sister.

"L-Let's…go home…" He said with a slight shiver to his voice, Emma stared at him nervously and then stood up before walking off of the lake with him. Jack grabbed his staff and then kept walking, his body screamed for him to stop and let it go but he refused to go before he made sure that Emma made it safely home.

The minute they got into town, everyone looked at them in surprise. They all wondered the same things: "Where's Slushy?" "Why is Overland wet?" "I thought it was winter…"

Jack stopped a few feet from their house, he shivered and then his body finally gave in. He crumbled unceremoniously onto the ground in front of everyone. As he drifted off, Jack could hear his sister begging him not to leave her. Jack wanted to answer but all that came out was the fateful final breath.

* * *

_**An: Alright, after this I think the moon would have changed him before they could do anything else, so he would still before Jack Frost and stuff XD Ok, please review and thanks for reading! :)**_


End file.
